Armed robber sentenced to 30 years in prison

JEFFERSON COUNTY - Jacob Rocke was sentenced to 30 years for seven armed robberies in Jefferson County.

He was connected with over 20 similar robberies in the metro area and was recently sentenced to 28 years in prison for those.

In October 2011, Arvada Police were called out on two robberies, at two different Starbucks coffee shops.

Rocke, wearing a mask and goggles, entered the stores brandishing what appeared to be a handgun. In both robberies, the managers were ordered through the store at gunpoint, with Rocke demanding money from the safe.

In many of the robberies, Rocke wore a ski mask, goggles and a hoodie. He ordered patrons and employees to the floor at gunpoint. The weapon turned out to be an Air Soft gun, but Rocke succeeded in terrorizing patrons and employees who believed it was real.

He escaped in a running car just outside the shops. He girlfriend Carmen Lopez was waiting in the passenger-side seat. Lopez, 23, pleaded guilty to felony theft on Feb. 27, 2012 and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Investigators noticed this case was similar to 21 unsolved robberies throughout the metro area that happened between August and October 2011. Most of the robberies were at hotels, take-out pizza businesses and Starbucks stores.

They apprehended him in October 2012. He was charged in four separate felony cases in Jefferson County. On Dec. 14, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted aggravated robbery in each case. He was also charged for similar robberies in Denver, Adams and Arapahoe counties. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the Jefferson County robberies on Jan. 31.